Flexible Storage Planning

1. A method implemented in a sizing infrastructure module, the method comprising: receiving, at the sizing infrastructure module executing on a first computer, from a first calling application program executing on a second computer of a plurality of computers in a computer network, a first capacity requirement, a first performance requirement, and a first reliability requirement for a first data storage system, the first computer configured as a centralized computer within the computer network so that the sizing infrastructure module is accessible by each calling application program of a plurality of calling application programs operating on the plurality of computers, wherein updates relating to each calling application program are updated within a database on the first computer, instead of on the plurality of computers; wherein the first performance requirement includes at least one workload definition, each workload definition describing a disk-access scenario; each workload definition having an associated required throughput that is included in the performance requirement, computing, by the sizing infrastructure module, a first configuration for the first data storage system based on the first capacity requirement, the first performance requirement, and the first reliability requirement, wherein computing the first configuration includes computing a required number of disks using the associated required throughput; returning the first configuration to the first calling application program; receiving, at the sizing infrastructure module executing on the first computer, from a second calling application program executing on a third computer of the plurality of computers a second capacity requirement, a second performance requirement, and a second reliability requirement for a second data storage system wherein the first, second and third computers are different computers; computing, by the sizing infrastructure module, a second configuration for the second data storage system based on the second capacity requirement, the second performance requirement, and the second reliability requirement; and returning the second configuration to the second calling application program.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the sizing infrastructure module and the first calling application program each execute on a respective computer, and wherein communication between the respective computers takes place over the network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein: receiving from the first calling application program the first capacity requirement, the first performance requirement, and the first reliability requirement includes receiving the requirements through an XML remote procedure call over an HTTP connection.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving from the first calling application program a request for a list of valid host types and valid disk types that can be used in the first data storage system; retrieving from the database the valid host types and the valid disk types; and returning the list of the valid host types and the valid disk types to the first calling application program.

5. A non-transitory machine readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, comprising: program instructions that receive, at a sizing infrastructure module executing on a first computer, from a first calling application program executing on a second computer of a plurality of computers in a computer network, a first capacity requirement, a first performance requirement, and a first reliability requirement for a first data storage system, the first computer configured as a centralized computer within the computer network so that the sizing infrastructure module is accessible by each calling application program of the plurality of application programs operating on the plurality of computers, wherein updates relating to each calling application program are updated within a database on the first computer, instead of on the plurality of computers; wherein the first performance requirement includes at least one workload definition, each workload definition describing a disk-access scenario; each workload definition has an associated required throughput that is included in the performance requirement; program instructions that compute, by the sizing infrastructure module, a first configuration for the first data storage system based on the first capacity requirement, the first performance requirement, and the first reliability requirement, wherein computing the first configuration includes program instructions that compute a required number of disks using the associated required throughput; program instructions that return the first configuration to the first calling application program; program instructions that receive, at the sizing infrastructure module, from a second calling application program executing on a third computer of the plurality of computer, a second capacity requirement, a second performance requirement, and a second reliability requirement for a second data storage system wherein the first, second and third computers are different computers; program instructions that compute, by the sizing infrastructure module, a second configuration for the second data storage system based on the second capacity requirement, the second performance requirement, and the second reliability requirement; and program instructions that return the second configuration to the second calling application program.

6. The machine readable medium of claim 5 , wherein: the sizing infrastructure module and the first calling application program each execute on a respective computer, and wherein communication between the respective computers takes place over the network.

7. The machine readable medium of claim 6 , wherein: program instructions that receive from the first calling application program the first capacity requirement, the first performance requirement, and the first reliability requirement includes program instructions that receive the requirements through an XML remote procedure call over an HTTP connection.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 5 , further comprising: program instructions that receive from the first calling application program a request for a list of valid host types and valid disk types that can be used in the first data storage system; program instructions that retrieve from the database the valid host types and the valid disk types; and program instructions that return the list of the valid host types and the valid disk types to the first calling application program.

9. A system comprising: a configuration estimation routine configured to receive, on a sizing infrastructure module executing on a first computer, calls from a plurality of application programs operating on a plurality of computers in a computer network different from the first computer, the first computer configured as a centralized computer within the computer network so that the sizing infrastructure module is accessible by each calling application program operating on the plurality of computers, wherein updates relating to each calling application program are updated within a database on the centralized computer, instead of on the plurality of computers, wherein the performance requirement includes at least one workload definition, each workload definition describing a disk-access scenario; each workload definition having an associated required throughput that is included in the performance requirement, the configuration estimation routine receiving from the plurality of calling application programs, a capacity requirement, a performance requirement, and a reliability requirement for a data storage system, wherein computing the configuration includes computing a required number of disks using the associated required throughput, computing, by the sizing infrastructure module, a configuration for the data storage system based on the capacity requirement, the performance requirement, and the reliability requirement, wherein computing the configuration includes computing a required number of disks using the associated required throughput, and returning the configuration to the calling application program.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein: the configuration estimation routine and each calling application program execute on a respective computer, and wherein communication between the respective computers takes place over the network.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein: the calling application program transmits the capacity requirement, the performance requirement, and the reliability requirement to the configuration estimation routine through an XML remote procedure call over an HTTP connection.

12. The system of claim 9 , further comprising: the database configured to store valid host types and valid disk types that can be used in the data storage system; and a data access routine configured to receive calls from the plurality of application programs, the data-access routine receiving from at least one of the calling application programs a request for a list of the valid host types and the valid disk types, retrieving the valid host types and the valid disk types from the database, and returning the list to the calling application program.

13. A method implemented in a sizing infrastructure module executing on a first computer, the method comprising: receiving, at the sizing infrastructure module, from a first calling application program executing on a second computer of a plurality of computers in a computer network, a first input requirement for a first data storage system, the sizing infrastructure module executing on a centralized computer within the computer network so that the sizing infrastructure module is accessible by each of a plurality of calling application programs operating on the plurality of computers, wherein updates relating to each calling application program are updated within a database on the first computer, instead of on the plurality of computers; wherein the first performance requirement includes at least one workload definition, each workload definition describing a disk-access scenario; each workload definition having an associated required throughput that is included in the performance requirement, computing a first configuration for the first data storage system based on the first input requirement by the sizing infrastructure module, wherein computing the first configuration includes computing a required number of disks using the associated required throughput; returning the first configuration to the first calling application program; receiving, at the sizing infrastructure module, from a second calling application program executing on a third computer of the plurality of computers a second input requirement for a second data storage system wherein the first, second and third computers are different computers; computing a second configuration for the second data storage system based on the second input requirement by sizing infrastructure module; and returning the second configuration to the second calling application program.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein: the sizing infrastructure module and the first calling application program each execute on a respective computer, and wherein communication between the respective computers takes place over the network.